This Date in Rock Music History: June 21

1948:  Columbia Records began mass production of the amazing new product--the 33 1/3 RPM long-playing record.  The format would dominate music sales well into the 1980s.
1955:  Elvis Presley appeared in concert at Beaumont, Texas.




1961:  Bobby Vee recorded "Take Good Care Of My Baby".
1966:  The Rolling Stones sued 14 New York City hotels that refused to let the band stay there, accusing them of "discrimination on account of national origin."  Did they ever think it might have been because of the people they were?
1966:  The Marquee Club in London was all abuzz about that new guitarist with the Yardbirds.  Jimmy Page appeared in concert for the first time with his new group.
1966:  Tom Jones required 14 stitches in his forehead after a car crash in Marble Arch, London.
1966:  The Beatles recorded the song "She Said She Said", the final track recorded for their upcoming album Revolver.
1967:  The Grateful Dead, Big Brother & the Holding Company and Quicksilver Messenger Service performed at Summer Solstice celebrations at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco.





1969:  "Get Back", one of The Top 100 Songs of the Rock Era* maintained its position at #1 for the Beatles, making it five weeks in a row.  Henry Mancini's beautiful "Love Theme From 'Romeo & Juliet'" held steady at #2, CCR was up one with "Bad Moon Rising", while Elvis Presley took position #4 with his timeless "In The Ghetto".  The rest of the Top 10:  Marvin Gaye moved up to 5 with "Too Busy Thinking About My Baby", Three Dog Night climbed up to 6 with "One", Mercy's great one and only hit "Love (Can Make You Happy)" was on its way down to #7, the Friends of Distinction came in at #8 with "Grazing In The Grass", Oliver had #9 with "Good Morning Starshine" and Blood, Sweat & Tears had their second Top 10 song (moving 18-10) with "Spinning Wheel".









1971:  Rare Earth released their new single "I Just Want to Celebrate".
1972:  Led Zeppelin was at the Denver Coliseum in Denver, Colorado.

1973:  Bread played their last concert at the Salt Palace in Salt Lake City, Utah.
1975:  Ritchie Blackmore left Deep Purple to form the hard rock group Rainbow.
1975:  If you weren't at London's Wembley Stadium on this date, you missed out.  There, you would see Elton John, the Eagles, the Beach Boys, Rufus and future Eagles guitarist Joe Walsh in concert.
1975:  The Eagles performed at the Day of the Green Concert in England to a crowd of over 120,000 along with the Doobie Brothers and Commander Cody and his Lost Planet Airmen.
1975:  The Bee Gees had the fastest-rising hit within the Top 100--"Jive Talkin'", which moved from 65 to 41 on this date.
1975:  "Midnight Blue" by Melissa Manchester became the new #1 Easy Listening song.







1975:  Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy by Elton John was #1 on the Album chart for the third week--every week of its release.  The great album Venus and Mars from Wings moved from 25 to 2 but was still a long ways from the top, and That's the Way of the World from Earth, Wind & Fire was third.









1975:  The Captain & Tennille turned the Neil Sedaka song "Love Will Keep Us Together" into their first #1 song.  Linda Ronstadt came in second with "When Will I Be Loved", the amazing song "Wildfire" moved from 12-3 for Michael Murphey and Jessi Colter was at 4 with "I'm Not Lisa".  The rest of the Top 10:  Major Harris was at #5 with "Love Won't Let Me Wait", America's former #1 "Sister Golden Hair" was at #6, Van McCoy had the sound of the times with "The Hustle" which moved from 29-7 on this date, Joe Simon was at #8 with "Get Down, Get Down", Wings scored their 10th Top 10 and 14th overall with "Listen To What The Man Said" (including the Beatles, it made Top 10 hit #43 and hit # 79 for Paul McCartney) and Average White Band registered a Top 10 with "Cut The Cake".
1976:  Wings wrapped up their first North American tour at the Los Angeles Forum.
1979:  Angus MacLise, former drummer of Velvet Underground, died of tuberculosis in Kathmandu at age 41.
1979:  Mick Taylor released his first solo album since leaving the Rolling Stones in 1975.
1980:  The Beach Boys, Santana, Mike Oldfield and Lindisfarne performed at Knebworth Park in England.
1980:  Glass Houses from Billy Joel was #1 on the Album chart for a second week.

1980:  Singer, songwriter and arranger Bert Kaempfert passed away at the age of 56 after suffering a stroke in Majorka, Spain.
1981:  Donald Fagan and Walter Becker announced that Steely Dan was breaking up.











1982:  Crosby, Stills & Nash released their comeback single "Wasted On The Way".
1986:  "There'll Be Sad Songs" by Billy Ocean took over at #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart.











1986:  Heart posted the sixth Top 10 hit of their career when "Nothin' At All" jumped into the list on this date.










                                        The Outfield had a Top 10 album...

1986:  The debut album Whitney Houston was #1 for a 13th week, and in its 65th week of release no less.  Winner in You from Patti LaBelle was #2 followed by Janet Jackson's Control and Like a Rock from Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band.  The rest of the Top 10:  5150 by Van Halen, Raised on Radio remaining at 6 for Journey, Please by the Pet Shop Boys, Love Zone from Billy Ocean moving into the Top 10, Parade from Prince and Play Deep by the Outfield at #10.
1988:  The Rascals began a reunion tour.
1988:  Bruce Springsteen thrilled fans with a show at the Aston Villa Football Club in Birmingham, England.






1990:  Little Richard received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.












1993:  Whitney Houston released the single "Run To You".
1993:  Some groups, like the Eagles for example, can be adults--others can't.  On this date, the United States Supreme Court agreed to hear an appeal from John Fogerty, who was trying to recoup legal fees from a battle over song copyrights with the other former members of Creedence Clearwater Revival.  This is 30 years after the band broke up.  Soon they will die and they'll discover that all of this wasn't really that important.
1998:  Bobby Brown was charged with sexual battery at the Beverly Hills Hilton Hotel.  What a surprise.
2002:  U2 and the Corrs performed during the Opening Ceremony of the Special Olympics at Croke Park in Dublin, Ireland.
2003:  R.E.M. began the European leg of their first tour in four years at the Tivoli in Utrecht, the Netherlands. 
2006:  Busta Rhymes had the top album with The Big Bang.
2008:  Disturbed had the top album with Indestrucible.


Born This Day:

1932:  O.C. Smith ("Little Green Apples" from 1968) was born in Mansfield, Louisiana; died November 23, 2001 after suffering a heart attack in Los Angeles.

1944:  Ray Davies, the founder and genius behind the Kinks, was born in Muswell Hill, London, England.  (Note:  some websites lazily say Davies was born in London, while some say he was born in Fortis Green.  London is both a city and county, so saying one was born in London doesn't tell us much, while Fortis Green is a neighborhood, not a city.  According to the book 'Legends of Rock Guitar:  The Essential Reference of Rock's Greatest Guitarists' by Pete Prown, Harvey P. Newquist and Jon F. Eiche, Davies was born in Muswell Hill, London.)
1944: Miguel Vicens of Los Bravos ("Black Is Black" from 1966) was born in O Ferrol, A Coruña, Galicia, Spain.
1947:  Joey Molland, songwriter and guitarist for Badfinger, was born in Liverpool, Lancashire, England.  (Note:  some websites report Molland was born in Edge Hill, Liverpool, England.  Edge Hill is a district within Liverpool, not its own city.  Reporting a birthplace as Edge Hill, Liverpool implies that Liverpool is a county, which it is not.)
1949:  Greg Munford of Strawberry Alarm Clock
1950:  Joey Kramer, drummer of Aerosmith, was born in the Bronx, New York.  (Note:  many websites lazily say Joey was born in New York City, which of course is made up of several boroughs that are all census-designated.  Joey was born in the Bronx, according to the book 'Aerosmith:  Hard Rock Superstars' by Jeff Burlingame.)

1951: Alan Silson of Smokie ("If You Think You Know How To Love Me") was born in Birkenshaw, Yorkshire, England.

(Note:  some websites say he was born in Birkenshaw, West Yorkshire, England.  West Yorkshire became a county effective in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act of 1972.  Since Silson was born 21 years before this, it is impossible for him to have been born in West Yorkshire and you will never see West Yorkshire listed as his County of Birth on his official birth certificate.)

1951:  Nils Lofgren, a member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band and also a solo performer, was born in Chicago, Illinois.

1957:  Mark Brzezicki, drummer of Big Country, was born in Slough, Buckinghamshire, England.  (Note:  some websites naively say Mark was born in Slough, Berkshire, England.  Slough was not included in the county of Berkshire until 1974, 17 years after he was born.  Thus, it is impossible for him to have been born in the county of Berkshire and you will never see Berkshire listed as his County of Birth on his official birth certificate.)
1959:  Marcella Detroit (real name Marcella Levy) of Shakespear's Sister and the songwriter of "Lay Down Sally" for Eric Clapton, was born in Detroit, Michigan.
1968:  Sonique ("It Feels So Good" and Sky" from 2000) was born in London.  (Note:  some websites say Sonique was born in Crouch End, London.  Crouch End is an area of London, not a separate city.)
1975:  Justin Carey, bassist of Sixpence None the Richer
1976:  Michael Einziger, co-songwriter and guitarist of Incubus, was born in Los Angeles.

The Top 500 Songs of the Rock Era*: #200-191

While you have heard the most amazing variety of classic music ever in the last 300 songs, there are even better listening pleasures in store.  Hang on as we dive into The Top 200*:

This Date in Rock Music History: June 20

All the day's music news are just a click away (click on "Read More"):

The Top 500 Songs of the Rock Era: #210-201

We have presented The Top 500 Songs of the Rock Era* several times, but it will always be better than the last time, since new songs come out and bump old ones out.  Admittedly, that hasn't happened often in the last 15-20 years, but it's still fascinating to see how songs by Usher, Alicia Keys and Adele compare to those by the Beatles, Elvis Presley and Elton John.

We have 10 more songs to unveil, and you can catch those after the jump:

This Date in Rock Music History: June 19

1960:  The Kingston Trio debuted their radio show on CBS Radio.
1961:  Producer Bert Kaempfert signed a contract with the Beatles.  (Note:  several websites claim that Kaempfert signed a contract with the Beat Boys, who they later said became the Beatles, on July 20, 1961.  The Beatles were never known as the Beat Boys; in fact, by July of 1960, the group changed their name permanently to the Beatles.  John Lennon first formed a group called the Black Jacks, which became the Quarrymen, Johnny and the Moondogs, the Beatals, the Silver Beetles, the Silver Beats, and the Silver Beatles, before the group settled on the name the Beatles.

The contract was not signed on July 20.  As you can see from the above document, which became the first Beatles contract to be auctioned in 2011, the contract was signed June 19.)






 


                                        Dee Clark had a hot new song...

1961:  Pat Boone had the #1 song with "Moody River".  Ricky Nelson dropped with "Travelin' Man" while Gary U.S. Bonds moved from 9 to 3 with "Quarter To Three".  Ben E King remained at #4 with "Stand By Me" while Dee Clark was close behind with his song "Raindrops".  The rest of the Top 10:  "The Writing On The Wall" from Adam Wade, Bobby Lewis rocked up from 17 to 7 with "Tossin' And Turnin", Gladys Knight & the Pips with "Every Beat Of My Heart", Brook Benton moved up with "The Boll Weevil Song" and Little Caesar & the Romans had their one and only--"Those Oldies But Goodies".
1962:  Nat "King" Cole recorded the single "Ramblin' Rose".
1965:  The Uxbridge Blues Festival in England was a great event with the Who, the Spencer Davis Group, John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, Zoot Money, Long John Baldry and Marianne Faithful among the performers.
1965:  It should have been obvious to most where this song was headed on the chart--the Biggest Mover on this date was from the Rolling Stones (67-26) with "Satisfaction".
1965:  The Kinks and the Moody Blues made their American debuts on this date at the Academy of Music in New York City.

1965:  "Crying In The Chapel" by Elvis Presley reigned supreme on the Easy Listening chart for the fifth week in a row.












                                     The Yardbirds with their greatest hit...

1965:  "I Can't Help Myself", one of The Top 500 Songs of the Rock Era* by the Four Tops, moved into the #1 position in only its sixth week of release, holding off "Mr.. Tambourine Man" from the Byrds.  The former #2 smash "Woolly Bully" by Sam the Sham & the Pharaohs was hanging on to #3.  "Crying In The Chapel" by Elvis came in fourth and the former #1 "Back In My Arms Again" by the Supremes was #5.  The rest of an excellent Top 10:  "Wonderful World" by Herman's Hermits, "Help Me Rhonda" by the Beach Boys, "Engine Engine #9" from Roger Miller was #8, the Yardbirds crashed the Top 10 with "For Your Love" and "Hush, Hush, Sweet Charlotte" by Patti Page made the list.








  1967:  It was one of the best years in the history of music and  'The Summer of Love", as it would become known, was just getting geared up.  How'd you like to be a radio station Music Director and have this 45 show up on your desk Monday morning?  On this date, Jefferson Airplane released "White Rabbit".  (Note:  some naive websites state the song was released June 24.  "White Rabbit" debuted on the Singles chart on June 24.  It is physically impossible for a song to be released by a record company, mailed to radio stations, be received and listened to by personnel at radio stations, added to station playlists, reported to trade papers and be printed and published, all in one day.  "White Rabbit" was released June 19.)
1968:  The Rolling Stones reached #1 in the U.K. for the seventh time with "Jumpin' Jack Flash".
1969:  The Doors were in concert at the PNE Garden Auditorium in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.











1971:  "Rainy Days And Mondays" was #1 for the fourth consecutive week for the Carpenters on the Adult chart.
















                     The family act with tips on how to "Treat Her Like a Lady"...

1971:  Carole King scored a double-sided hit as "It's Too Late" and "I Feel The Earth Move" climbed from #6 to #1, heading a tremendous Top 10 on this date.  "It's Too Late" separated itself and wound up as one of The Top 100 Songs of the Rock Era*.  The Carpenters made a move with "Rainy Days And Mondays" at #2 while "Want Ads" by the Honey Cone slipped to 3 after just one week at the top.  "Brown Sugar" by the Rolling Stones was on its way down.  The rest of the Top 10:  Ringo Starr at #5 with "It Don't Come Easy", "Treat Her Like A Lady" from Cornelius Brothers & Sister Rose moved up to #6, the Raiders from Boise, Idaho moved from 11 to 7 with their classic "Indian Reservation", the song that was previously #1 for 6 weeks in a row--"Joy To the World" by Three Dog Night was still in the Top 10 at #8, the Partridge Family was #9--"I'll Meet You Halfway" and Donny Osmond had #10 with "Sweet And Innocent".



1971:  Tapestry by Stanley, Idaho's Carole King moved to the #1 position on the Album chart for the first time in its 11th week of release.











1972:  The Carpenters released the single "Goodbye To Love".
1973:  Roberta Flack appeared on the ABC television special Roberta Flack...The First Time Ever.

1974:  The Jackson 5 played two shows at the Apollo in Glasgow, Scotland.
1974:  The Eagles performed at the Ozark Music Festival in Sedia, Missouri.

1976:  The Bay City Rollers kicked off their first American tour at the Steel Pier in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

1976:  Bette Midler appeared on the HBO television show Standing Room Only.

1976:  "Never Gonna' Fall in Love Again" by Eric Carmen was the new #1 on the Easy Listening chart.

             
                "Warm Ways" helped Fleetwood Mac kick in another gear...

1976:  Wings at the Speed of Sound was the new #1 album, sending Black and Blue by the Rolling Stones tumbling to #3.  Frampton Comes Alive! reached #2.  The rest of the Top 10:  Here and There from Elton John was #4, Aerosmith's Rocks was 5, the album Diana Ross came in sixth, the self-titled Fleetwood Mac album was moving back up to #7 after 47 weeks, George Benson had #8 with Breezin', Led Zeppelin's Presence was #9 and Rastaman Vibration was #10 from Bob Marley & the Wailers.

                                 The Brothers had a huge summer hit...

1976:  "Silly Love Songs" made it two weeks in a row for Wings at the top.  Silver Convention's second Top 10 song "Get Up And Boogie" was #2 followed by "Misty Blue" from Dorothy Moore.  Diana Ross's former #1 "Love Hangover" came in fourth, followed by Hall & Oates with "Sara Smile" and "Shannon" from Henry Gross.  The rest of the Top 10:  "Shop Around" by Captain & Tennille, "More, More, More (Pt. 1)" by the Andrea True Connection, the Starland Vocal Band rocketed up from 25 to 9 with "Afternoon Delight" and the Brothers Johnson had their first Top 10 with "I'll Be Good To You".

1977:  Tom Petty and the Boomtown Rats performed at the Rainbow Theatre in London.

1978:  The Rolling Stones were in concert at the Palladium in New York City.

1981:  On Monday, June 19, 1981, Diana Ross & Lionel Richie released the single "Endless Love" to radio stations.  (Note:  some naive websites falsely say the song was released August 1.  "Endless Love" debuted on the Singles chart on June 24.  It is physically impossible for a song to be included on the Singles chart if it has not been released as a single.  The song was released June 19.)

1982:  "Any Day Now" by Ronnie Milsap took over at #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart.

1982:  Asia rose to #1 with their self-titled album, replacing Paul McCartney's Tug of War.  Van Halen remained at 3 with Diver Down while Stevie Wonder's Original Musicquarium I was fourth.  The rest of the Top 10:  Dare from the Human League, Always On My Mind by Willie Nelson at #6, Toto's landmark album Toto IV at #7, Aldo Nova reached #8, Success Hasn't Spoiled Me Yet by Rick Springfield fell to #9 and Chariots of Fire from Vangelis was #10.

 

1982:  John Cougar (John Mellencamp) scored the first Top 10 hit of his career on this date as "Hurts So Good" moved from 17 to 9.

1982:  Stevie Wonder & Paul McCartney made it six weeks in a row at #1 with "Ebony and Ivory".  The Human League rose to #2 with "Don't You Want Me" and Toto's "Rosanna" was #7.

1984:  Tickets for 10 shows by Bruce Springsteen at the Meadowlands in New Jersey went on sale.  Twenty-four hours later, 202,000 tickets had been purchased.

1987:  Guns N' Roses performed at the famous Marquee Club in London.

1988:  Over 3,000 East Germans crowded against the Berlin Wall so they could hear the Michael Jackson concert, which was being performed freely on the other side at the Platz der Republik in Berlin, West Germany.

1989:  Monday fell on June 19, and that meant release date for new singles.  Don Henley released the title song from his album The End of the Innocence on this date.

1990:  Prince performed the first of 12 sold-out shows at Wembley Arena in London.

1993:  "Have I Told You Lately" by Rod Stewart was #1 for the fourth week on the AC chart.

                          Stone Temple Pilots scored a Top 10 album...

1993:  janet by Janet Jackson topped the Album chart for a third week, holding off Unplugged...and Seated by Rod Stewart.  Dr. Dre moved to #3 with The Chronic and the former #1 Soundtrack to "The Bodyguard" was at #5.  The rest of the Top 10:  Kenny G with Breathless, Aerosmith had the #6 album in Get a Grip, the Spin Doctors came in seventh with Pocket Full of Kryptonite, Luther Vandross debuted at #8 with Never Let Me Go, SWV remained at #9 with It's About Time and Core from the Stone Temple Pilots edged into the Top 10.

1993:  Janet Jackson spent a sixth week atop the Singles chart with "That's The Way Love Goes".

1997:  Bobby Helms ("Jingle Bell Rock") died from emphysema and asthma at the age of 63 at his home just outside Martinsville, Indiana.

1998:  Sinead O'Connor opened the second annual Lilith Fair in Portland, Oregon.  Sheryl Crow, Bonnie Raitt, Diana Krall, Sarah McLachlan, Missy Elliott, Shawn Colvin, Natalie Merchant, Lisa Loeb, Lauryn Hill, Paula Cole, Queen Latifah, Suzanne Vega, Meredith Brooks, Neneh Cherry, Joan Osbourne, Des'ree, Billie Myers, Erykah Badu and the Indigo Girls also performed.
2000:  Bob Dylan added Professor Patrick Ladd to his concert in Portland, Oregon.  Ladd signed Dylan's lyrics for the hard of hearing (as well as for the thousands of fans who couldn't understand Dylan).

2004:  In today's segment of "Inmates Run Rap Music", convicted rapper T.I. turned up at Hot 107.9's Birthday Bash in Atlanta.  His performance was short-lived; after he began insulting Lil' Flip, the plug was pulled on T.I. and the entire concert was canceled.  And all was right with the world.

2005:  Coldplay owned the #1 album in the U.K. with X & Y.
2010:  Katy Perry rose to #1 with "California Gurls" (sp).
2014:  Gerry Goffin, whose songs have been recorded by the Shirelles, Little Eva, the Chiffons, Aretha Franklin, Rod Stewart, the Monkees, Grand Funk, the Animals, Herman's Hermits, the Byrds, the Drifters, Dusty Springfield, Donny Osmond and many others, died in Los Angeles at the age of 75.  (Note:  some websites claim Goffin died in Brooklyn, New York, but according to the newspaper 'The Washington Post', he died in Los Angeles.)

Born This Day:

1932:  Saxophonist Mel Collins (a member of Alexis Korner, King Crimson and the Rolling Stones and a musician for Eric Clapton, Dire Straits, Bad Company, Gerry Rafferty, Tears for Fears, 10cc and others) was born in the Isle of Man.

1936:  Tommy Devito of the 4 Seasons was born in Belleville, New Jersey.

1936:  Shirley Goodman of Shirley and Company ("Shame, Shame, Shame" from 1975) was born in New Orleans, Louisiana; died July 5, 2005 in Los Angeles after effects of a stroke suffered in 1994.

1939:  Al Wilson ("Show And Tell" in 1973) was born in Meridian, Mississippi; died of kidney failure April 21, 2008.

1942:  Elaine McFarlane of Spanky and Our Gang was born in Peoria, Illinois.

1944:  Robin Box, lead guitarist of White Plains ("My Baby Loves Lovin'" from 1970) 

1950:  Ann Wilson, lead singer of Heart, was born in San Diego, California.

1953:  Larry Dunn, keyboardist with Earth, Wind & Fire, was born in Denver, Colorado.

1959:  Mark DeBarge of DeBarge was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

1962:  Paula Abdul was born in Los Angeles, California.

1963:  Simon Wright, one-time drummer of AC/DC, was born in Oldham, Manchester, England.  (Note:  some websites report Simon was born in Alden, England.  Some sites report that he was born in Oldham, Manchester, England.  The county of Manchester was not created until 1974, 11 years after Wright was born, so you will never see Manchester listed as the county of birth on Simon's official birth certificate.)
1964:  Brian Vander Ark, lead singer of the Verve Pipe ("The Freshmen" from 1997) was born in Holland, Michigan.  (Note:  some websites report Brian was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan.  Vander Ark lived in Grand Rapids, but he was born in Holland, a suburb.)

1970:  Brian Welch, guitarist and co-founder of Korn, was born in Torrance, California.  (Note:  some websites claim Welch was born in Bakersfield, California.  He was born in Torrance and was raised in Bakersfield.)

The Top 500 Songs of the Rock Era*: #220-211

If you have been catching each segment of The Top 500 Songs of the Rock Era*, you have been listening to the greatest music over the last 60 years!  More is coming after the jump:

This Date in Rock Music History: June 18

1948:  Columbia Records displayed its new 33 1/3 long-playing record in New York City.  The new format allowed 23 minutes per side as opposed to 3 minutes for a 78 RPM record.
1964:  The Beatles performed at Sydney Stadium in Sydney, Australia.





1966:  The great San Francisco band the Grass Roots first appeared on the charts on this date with the single "Where Were You When I Needed You".  Only one original member remains with the group that is touring.

1966:  "Rain" by the Beatles was the Biggest Mover of the week, rising from 72-42.






                         "Memories of Madrid" helped give Alpert & the Brass a #1 album..

1966:  This should give you an idea of how big Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass were in the '60s.  What Now My Love was #1 on the Album chart.  If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears by the Mamas & Papas was #2, Whipped Cream & Other Delights by Herb Alpert's Tijuana Brass was #3 in its 58th week on the chart, the Soundtrack to "The Sound of Music" was #4 and Going Places was the #5 album by Alpert & the Tijuana Brass.  Three of the Top Five for Herb & the Brass.  The rest of the Top 10:  Big Hits (High Tide and Green Grass) by the Rolling Stones was stuck at 6, the Soundtrack to "Doctor Zhivago" was #7, Barbra Streisand had #8--Color Me Barbra, and two versions of the title The Shadow of Your Smile appeared, #9 from Andy Williams and #10 by Johnny Mathis.

1967:  The Jimi Hendrix Experience made its famous debut at the Monterey Pop Festival in California.  After an argument with the Who as to which act would close the Festival, Hendrix played an incredible set in which he lit his guitar on fire.

1968:  "In His Own Write", an adaptation of the writings of John Lennon, premiered at the Old Vic Theatre in London.

1971:  Fleetwood Mac performed at Up The Junction in Crewe, England.







1973:  Chicago released their single "Feelin' Stronger Every Day".









  1973:  The Stories released the single "Brother Louie".
1976:  ABBA performed for Swedish King Carl XVI Gustaf and his Queen-to-be Silvia on the eve of their Royal Wedding.  (Note:  some websites say the performance was at the wedding reception.  According to the official ABBA website, the group performed the night before the wedding.)

1977:  The #1 album in the U.K. was the Beatles at the Hollywood Bowl.
1977:  Barry Manilow remained at the top for a third week with "Looks Like We Made It" on the Easy Listening chart.

 

Keyboardist Al Greenwood's great work is showcased on "Long, Long Way from Home" as Foreigner got their start...

1977:  A lot of good albums in this Top 10!  Rumours by Fleetwood Mac, in its 7th week at #1, The Beatles at the Hollywood Bowl was #2 and the Commodores was third.  The Soundtrack to "Rocky" came in fourth, followed by the former #1 album Hotel California by the Eagles.  The rest of the Top 10:  Book of Dreams by the Steve Miller Band, Barry Manilow Live was #7, Marvin Gaye Live at the London Palladium moved up to 8, Izitso by Cat Stevens was #9, and the debut album from Foreigner moved into the Top 10.

1977:  "Dreams" went to #1 for Fleetwood Mac.  "Got To Give It Up" by Marvin Gaye rose to the runner-up spot and Bill Conti was at 3 with the second-best version of "Gonna' Fly Now".  Foreigner's first hit "Feels Like The First Time" was #4.  The rest of the Top 10:  "Lucille" from Kenny Rogers, Alan O'Day had his only hit "Undercover Angel" at 6, Andrew Gold remained at 7 with "Lonely Boy", K.C. and the Sunshine Band tumbled from 1 all the way to 8 with "I'm Your Boogie Man", Stevie Wonder's former #1 "Sir Duke" remained at #9 and Hot had a Top 10 song in "Angel In Your Arms".

 1979:  After reading this, you should very easily be able to discount anything that VH1 says (which hopefully you were able to do prior to reading this!)  (VH1 claims that "My Sharona" by the Knack was released Saturday, June 23.  According to 'Billboard', "My Sharona" debuted on the Singles chart on June 23.  As anyone with even a remote knowledge of music knows, a song cannot debut on a music chart on the day it is released.  The trade magazine has to have time to see how popular the newly released song is and it actually does take a while to get the magazine published.  So you see, it is impossible for a song to appear in print on the day it is mailed to radio stations.  No, actually, the song was released on this date in 1984--June 18, which was a Monday.  I was a radio station Music Director when the songs came out and I can tell you that VH1 has no knowledge of what they are talking about.  This is one of the reasons I decided to do this blog--to get the truth out about all things related to rock.)

1983:  "Never Gonna' Let You Go" by Sergio Mendes was the new #1 song on the Adult Contemporary chart.
1983:  Irene Cara remained at #1 for a third week with "Flashdance...What A Feeling".  Culture Club moved to #2 with "Time (Clock Of The Heart)" while David Bowie dropped with "Let's Dance".
1984:  The movie Rhinestone starring Dolly Parton premiered at the Roy Acuff Theatre in Nashville, Tennessee.

1984:  "Panama" by Van Halen was not released Saturday, June 23 as VH1 claims (see the note next to the year 1979), but rather on this date, Monday, June 18. 
1988:  George Michael performed on the first of two nights at the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Center (SEC) in Glasgow, Scotland.
1988:  A former cheerleader for the Los Angeles Lakers decided to record an album.  Unlikely success story, right?  In this case, it worked as Paula Abdul was introduced to the world with her debut single "Knocked Out" first charted on this date.

1988:  Rick Astley had the #1 song with "Together Forever". George Michael dropped from the top spot after three weeks with "One More Try" and Debbie Gibson moved to #3 with "Foolish Beat".
1988:  Faith was on top the Album chart for the 12th week for George Michael.  Def Leppard's Hysteria was still at #3 after 44 weeks on the chart.







1988:  Bruce Hornsby & the Range had themselves a #1 song on the Adult Contemporary chart with "The Valley Road".
1989:  Van Morrison, Elvis Costello, the Proclaimers and Hot House Flowers performed on the second day of the Glastonbury Festival in England.
1993:  After 30 years as leaders of the company they founded, Jerry Moss and Herb Alpert announced they were leaving A&M Records, selling the company to Polydor Records.  






1994:  All-4-One had the #1 song for a fifth week with "I Swear".

1995:  In today's episode of Inmates Run Rap Music, Christopher Wallace, who went by the fake name of Notorious B.I.G., was arrested in Pennsylvania for a warrent in Camden, New Jersey for robbery and aggravated assault.  (Note:  some websites claim Wallace was arrested in Camden.  He was wanted in Camden for the charges, but the arrest was made in Pennsylvania, according to 'Billboard' magazine.)
1997:  U2 and Oasis performed the first of two concerts at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum in California.
2003:  Dexy's Midnight Runners, who had the #1 hit "Come On Eileen", announced that they would get back together for a tour of the U.K.

2003:  Joey Fatone of 'N Sync was engaged to longtime girlfriend Kelly.

2003:  Luther Vandross, who was recovering from a stroke suffered in April, had the #1 album with Dance With My Father.

2004:  Ray Charles' funeral was at the First AME Church in Los Angeles.  Stevie Wonder, Willie Nelson and B.B. King performed at the service, which was attended by Little Richard, Berry Gordy Jr. and Jesse Jackson.

2006:  Nelly Furtado had the #1 U.K. song with "Maneater".
2007:  Hank Medress of the Tokens died of lung cancer in Manhattan, New York at age 68.
2010:  John Lennon's handwritten lyrics to "A Day In The Life" by the Beatles sold for $1.2 million at a Sotheby's auction in New York City.
2010:  Richard Carpenter and his late sister Karen of the Carpenters, Herb Alpert and Donna Summer were inducted into the Hollywood Bowl Hall of Fame.

2011:  Clarence Clemons, famous saxophonist with Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, died in West Palm Beach, Florida at the age of 69 from complications of a stroke suffered on June 12.
2011:  The city of Chicago dedicated Sam Cooke Way in honor of its native son.
2014:  Johnny Mann, composer, arranger, and singer who worked with Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Dean Martin, the Crickets, Eddie Cochran, Johnny Burnette, recorded commercial jingles for radio stations such as K-EARTH in Los Angeles and sang the voice of Theodore in the original Alvin and the Chipmunks television show, died of heart failure June 18 in Anderson, South Carolina at age 85.

Born This Day:
1938:  Don "Sugarcane" Harris, guitarist and pianist who worked with Little Richard, John Mayall and Frank Zappa, was born in Pasadena, California; died November 30, 1999 in Los Angeles.  (Note:  'Allmusic.com' falsely reported he died December 1.  Some websites claim he died on November 27.  He died on November 30, according to the newspaper 'The New York Times'.)

1942:  Sir Paul McCartney was born in Liverpool, Lancashire, England.

1942:  Richard Perry, famous producer of Barbra Streisand, the Pointer Sisters, Carly Simon and others, was born in Brooklyn, New York.

1942:  Carl Radle, bassist of Derek and the Dominoes, was born in Tulsa Oklahoma; died of kidney failure brought on by narcotics and alcohol on May 30, 1980 at the age of 38.  (Note:  some websites report he died June 30.  According to the official website set up for Carl, he died May 30.)
1947:  Sandy Posey ("Born A Woman" from 1966) was born in Jasper, Alabama.
1953:  Jerome Smith of K.C. and the Sunshine Band; died August 4, 2000 when he was crushed by a bulldozer he was operating in West Palm Beach, Florida.  (Note:  some websites report he died July 28 while some say he died August 2.  Those sites are rushing things--according to the newspaper 'The New York Times', Smith died Friday, August 4.  Some websites claim Jerome was born in Miami, Florida while others say he was born in Hialeah, Florida.  Unfortunately, no credible sources exist for his birthplace.)  
1957:  Tom Bailey, vocalist and keyboard player with the Thompson Twins, was born in Halifax, West Yorkshire, England.

1961:  Alison Moyet of Yaz and later a solo performer, was born in Basildon, Essex, England.
1963:  Dizzy Reed, keyboardist with Guns 'N Roses, was born in Hinsdale, Illinois.

1971:  Nathan Morris of Boyz II Men was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
1975:  Silkk the Shocker was born in New Orleans, Louisiana.